Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Open the schools

Open the schools

Schools must reopen as severe cases dip and vaccination (टीकाकरण) coverage increases

India continues to record over 2,80,000 cases every day, which on its own is an uncomfortable statistic (आँकड़ा, सांख्यिकीय). These are not too far from (से दूर) that observed during the second wave and it is understandable why State administrators continue to impose (लगाना, थोपना, लादना) lockdowns (an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority). However, numbers are meaningless without context (संदर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ) and the data from States show that what was most feared about Omicron — an upsurge (sudden increase or rise of something; jump, upturn) of hospitalisations (अस्पताल में भर्ती) and indiscriminate (अंधाधुंध, अविवेकी, बिना सोचे समझे) mortality (मृत्यु दर, नश्वरता) — has not come to pass (happen, occur, take place, transpire, come about, befall). The States that are in the throes of (struggling with, grappling with, in the middle of) the wave now report, on average, that more than 95% of their available beds are unoccupied. By no means (किसी भी तरह से नहीं, बिलकुल नहीं) does this suggest that an Omicron infection is mild or that those vaccinated (inoculate, administer, introduce (with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease)) can be assured of pre-2020 nonchalance (relaxedness, casualness, calmness, ease; unconcern, lack of concern, indifference, carelessness). However, the evidence is unequivocal (स्पष्ट, असंदिग्ध, निर्विवाद) that the odds (likelihood, probability, chance) of requiring hospitalisation are low in the doubly vaccinated ((of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease) and the vaccines, so far (अब तक, वर्तमान तक), continue to deliver on their promise of staving off (स्थगित करना, टालना) severe illness. These observations (टिप्पणी, अवलोकन, परीक्षा, निरीक्षण) are no doubt accounted for (के लिये उत्तरदयी होना, बनाना, प्रस्तुत करना) by various State governments which are now easing (ढीला छोड़ना, कम करना, मध्यम करना) restrictions and allowing business establishments (place of business, firm, company, enterprise, organization, industry) and public places to open up (make something available/accessible).

However, schools continue to be shut in most places and administrators are reluctant (unwilling, disinclined, resisting, opposed, hesitant) to open them because most children are unvaccinated ((of people) not vaccinated to provide immunity against a disease). Serology surveys (A serological survey is conducted to assess the prevalence of a disease in a population. It is done by detecting the presence of specific antibodies that are produced against the virus) by the ICMR and independent experts have found that greater than 70% of children displayed COVID-19 antibodies (it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom)) — which is no different (dissimilar, unalike, unlike, non-identical, not the same) from adults. Other lines (course, procedure, technique, way, system, method) of research also establish (prove, demonstrate, show, indicate, signify, confirm) that while children are likely (probable, possible) to contract (develop, catch, become infected with, fall ill with, be taken ill with (a disease)) the infection and be carriers (a person who transmits an infectious agent to others, particularly with themselves showing no symptoms), they are less likely to fall severely ill. Placing this in context with the disruption (disturbance, disarrangement, confusion, interruption, obstruction) that has taken place in schools, the years of quality teaching time that have been lost and, the entrenching (entrench) of inequality (Inequality is simply defined as “the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities; imbalance, unevenness, disproportion, disparity) among well-off (wealthy, rich, affluent) children and those who are dependent on schools not only for learning but also a nutritious (healthy, wholesome, nourishing) meal, it is clear that schools, in good conscience (by all that is fair; having good motives; properly, in fairness, correctly, legally), cannot be allowed to remain shut. The COVID-19 pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area) has not ended but societies are better prepared and aware of the reasonable measures (action, step, procedure) that can be undertaken (begin, start; engage in, become involved in, embark on, launch into, attempt, try) to save lives. Lockdowns are effective as a temporary measure and give time to stock up (fill, fill up, load, restock, amass supplies of), but they come with (develop as a result of something) huge costs (loss, suffering, drawback, disadvantage) and are not sustainable (acceptable, reliable, dependable) over the longer term. Thus, States should prioritise expanding vaccine coverage, insist on (call for, ask for, request, press for, push for) masks when children are in close confines (limits, borders, boundaries (of a place)), undertake periodic (regular, recurrent, repeated, cyclical) testing to gauge transmission and monitor hospitalisation trends while fully reopening schools. Experience from other countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. suggests that the reopening of schools hardly (barely, almost not) impacted transmission trends. India must incorporate these lessons.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.vaccination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीकाकरण
English Meaning - treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

2.statistic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आँकड़ा, सांख्यिकीय
English Meaning - a piece of information/data received from a study of a large number of information/data.

3.impose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - लगाना, थोपना, लादना
English Meaning - force, thrust, inflict, urge (an unwelcome decision).

4.context (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदर्भ, परिस्थितियाँ
English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, situation.

5.hospitalisation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अस्पताल में भर्ती
English Meaning - the act of taking (or) admitting someone to (or) in hospital for treatment.

6.indiscriminate (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अंधाधुंध, अविवेकी, बिना सोचे समझे
English Meaning - unconsidered, casual, random, careless, unplanned, aimless, foolish, mindless, impulsive, ill-considered, thoughtless, unthinking.

7.mortality (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मृत्यु दर, नश्वरता
English Meaning - (in a particular time/for a cause) the rate/number of death; death, loss of life.

8.by no means (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - किसी भी तरह से नहीं, बिलकुल नहीं
English Meaning - not at all, in no way, certainly not, absolutely not, definitely not.

9.unequivocal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट, असंदिग्ध, निर्विवाद
English Meaning - unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable, incontrovertible, indubitable, undeniable.

10.far from (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - से दूर
English Meaning - not, not at all, nowhere near, a long way from.

11.so far (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - अब तक, वर्तमान तक
English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

12.stave off (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्थगित करना, टालना
English Meaning - avert, prevent, avoid, rule out.

13.observation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टिप्पणी, अवलोकन, परीक्षा, निरीक्षण
English Meaning - scrutiny, examination, inspection, surveillance, attention, consideration.

14.account for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - के लिये उत्तरदयी होना, बनाना, प्रस्तुत करना
English Meaning - constitute, make up, comprise, form, compose, represent.

15.ease (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ढीला छोड़ना, कम करना, मध्यम करना
English Meaning - reduce, moderate, lessen, decrease.

16.dip (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, decline, reduce, slump.

17.on one’s own (phrase)

English Meaning - alone, all alone, by oneself, all by oneself.

18.lockdown (noun)

English Meaning - an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.

19.Omicron variant (noun)

English Meaning - On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the (new coronavirus) variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). The first known confirmed Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on November 9. In recent weeks, infections in South Africa have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection.

20.upsurge (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase or rise of something; jump, upturn.

21.come to pass (phrase)

English Meaning - happen, occur, take place, transpire, come about, befall.

22.in the throes of (phrase)

English Meaning - struggling with, grappling with, in the middle of.

23.vaccinate (verb)

English Meaning - inoculate, administer, introduce (with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease).

24.vaccinated (adjective)

English Meaning - (of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease.

25.nonchalance (noun)

English Meaning - relaxedness, casualness, calmness, ease; unconcern, lack of concern, indifference, carelessness.

26.the odds (noun)

English Meaning - likelihood, probability, chance.

27.doubly (adverb)

English Meaning - twice as, in double measure.

28.vaccine (noun)

English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

29.establishment (noun)

English Meaning - place of business, firm, company, enterprise, organization, industry.

30.open up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - make something available/accessible.

31.reluctant (adjective)

English Meaning - unwilling, disinclined, resisting, opposed, hesitant.

32.unvaccinated (adjective)

English Meaning - (of people) not vaccinated to provide immunity against a disease.

33.serology survey (noun)

English Meaning - A serological survey is conducted to assess the prevalence of a disease in a population. It is done by detecting the presence of specific antibodies that are produced against the virus.

34.serology (noun)

English Meaning - a method of diagnostic examination of blood serum concerning the immune system’s response to pathogens (the pathogen is something, like bacteria/virus, that causes disease). (serum is an amber (yellowish-orange), watery fluid, rich in proteins, obtained from blood…).

35.sero-survey (noun)

English Meaning - collection and testing of serum (or proxy such as oral fluid) specimens from a sample of a defined population over a specified period of time to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against a given specific infectious pathogen as an indicator of immunity.

36.Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (noun)

English Meaning - the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

37.antibody (noun)

English Meaning - it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom).

38.different (adjective)

English Meaning - dissimilar, unalike, unlike, non-identical, not the same.

39.no different (from) (phrase)

English Meaning - similar, alike, like, identical, the same.

40.lines (noun)

English Meaning - course, procedure, technique, way, system, method.

41.establish (verb)

English Meaning - prove, demonstrate, show, indicate, signify, confirm.

42.likely (adjective)

English Meaning - probable, possible.

43.contract (verb)

English Meaning - develop, catch, become infected with, fall ill with, be taken ill with (a disease).

44.carrier (noun)

English Meaning - a person who transmits an infectious agent to others, particularly with themselves showing no symptoms.

45.disruption (noun)

English Meaning - disturbance, disarrangement, confusion, interruption, obstruction.

46.entrench (verb)

English Meaning - settle, establish, embed, anchor, install, ingrain.

47.inequality (noun)

English Meaning - Inequality is simply defined as “the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities; imbalance, unevenness, disproportion, disparity.

48.well-off (adjective)

English Meaning - wealthy, rich, affluent.

49.nutritious (adjective)

English Meaning - healthy, wholesome, nourishing.

50.in good conscience (phrase)

English Meaning - by all that is fair; having good motives; properly, in fairness, correctly, legally.

51.conscience (noun)

English Meaning - a sense of right and wrong, moral sense, inner voice.

52.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

53.measure (noun)

English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

54.undertake (verb)

English Meaning - begin, start; engage in, become involved in, embark on, launch into, attempt, try.

55.stock up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - fill, fill up, load, restock, amass supplies of.

56.come with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - develop as a result of something.

57.cost (noun)

English Meaning - loss, suffering, drawback, disadvantage.

58.at the cost of (phrase)

English Meaning - at the expense/loss/sacrifice of.